A Powerful Display From Citrus Park

Long shot? It sure looked that way when the Citrus Park All-Stars were two outs away from elimination on Monday night.

"That was it," Citrus Park manager Joe McGuire said. "I told them this could be their last at-bat as a team. We needed something."

Citrus Park went from long shot to long ball - four of them, in fact - hammering its way to a stunning 8-2 seven-inning victory against Shelton, Conn., in the Little League World Series at Williamsport, Pa., staving off a disappointing trip home and setting up a spot in the U.S. semifinals.

With one out in the top of the sixth inning, Citrus Park shortstop Kevin Merrell delivered a solo homer to left field, tying the game 2-2.

"Running around those bases, it was probably one of the best feelings of my life," Merrell said. "I just wanted to put it in play, then I just got lucky. Once we tied the game, it seemed to light a fire under all of us."

In the seventh, Citrus Park struck for six runs and three homers, including a leadoff shot by Danny Lastra that provided the lead for good.

Citrus Park, showing resiliency one day after suffering its first loss this summer, advanced into Thursday night's U.S. semifinals (ESPN, 8 p.m.) - three games away from a world championship. The opponent will be pitching-savvy South Lake Charles, La., if it wins tonight's final pool-play game. Now Citrus Park gets two full days off - an opportunity to heal some wounds and fully absorb its come-from-behind heroics.

To summarize the emotions of Citrus Park players, coaches and parents:

Whew!

"Kevin's homer was the biggest play of the game, no doubt," McGuire said. "Without that one, none of the other stuff happens."

The other stuff - a six-run seventh inning - broke open the game.

Following Lastra's homer, which provided a 3-2 lead, Citrus Park also got a two-run blast from ninth-place batter Brett Wilkosz, Merrell's second homer and an RBI double from Ryan McCullers.

Darren Miller pitched a scoreless seventh inning, striking out two, to end the game.

"Once K-Man Merrell threw it open with his homer, the whole mood of the game changed," Lastra said. "We were so fired up. Everybody did something."

Merrell, particularly, did plenty.

He was 3-for-4, including the two homers and a stand-up double to lead off the fourth inning. Merrell scored on Lastra's single, giving Citrus Park a 1-0 lead.

Connecticut answered back with the tying run, scoring on an infield hit after Citrus Park starter Wyatt Reid nearly escaped from a no-out bases-loaded jam. In the fifth, Tyler Tice's one-out RBI single in the fifth gave Connecticut a 2-1 lead - and seemingly started the countdown toward Citrus Park's elimination.

Then Merrell went deep.

And everyone else followed.

"This was a big win," McGuire said. "Top four in the United States - I'll take that."

Beginning Thursday night, for suddenly revitalized Citrus Park, there's even more for the taking.